WASHINGTON -- The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in an additional two commercial turkey flocks in South Dakota, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in that State to four. These flocks are within the Central flyway where this strain of avian influenza has previously been identified. CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time.

The affected flocks are in:

McCook County - 53,000 turkeys

McPherson County - 46,000 turkeys

Samples from the turkey flocks, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the South Dakota State University Animal Disease Research & Diagnostic Laboratory and the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa confirmed the findings.

Full text:

http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/fe4873

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2. H5N2: USDA confirms new cases in Minnesota, North Dakota

Feedstuffs

April 11, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in a third commercial turkey flock in Kandiyohi County, Minn. This is the 14th confirmation in a commercial flock in Minnesota. The flock of 38,000 turkeys has been quarantined and will be depopulated.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has a list of telephone hotlines for the public to address avian flu issues in the state plus details on each case in the state at https://www.bah.state.mn.us/avian-influenza.

Additionally, USDA confirmed the presence of H5N2 HPAI in a commercial turkey flock in Dickey County, N.D. The flock of 60,000 turkeys is the first in North Dakota, and state officials quarantined the premises and birds on the property will be depopulated.

Source: http://feedstuffs.com/story-h5n2-usda-confirms-new-cases-minnesota-north-dakota-45-126341

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3. H5N2 expands its Minnesota reach, hits 4 more farms

Jim Wappes, Editorial Director

CIDRAP News

April 10, 2015

The highly pathogenic form of H5N2 avian flu was confirmed today on four more commercial turkey farms in Minnesota-three in previously unaffected counties-affecting 189,000 birds, while an H5 strain was detected in a North Dakota turkey flock [see item 2].

The virus has now infected turkeys on 13 Minnesota farms in a little over a month. Minnesota officials also announced today that a farm housing more than 300,000 turkeys whose outbreak was announced 2 days ago will need to cull all the birds on its premises.

The new outbreaks have affected 48,000 turkeys in Cottonwood County, 66,000 in Lyon County, 30,000 in Watonwan County, and 45,000 in Stearns County, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said today in an update.

The 189,000 newly affected turkeys bring to 872,000 the number of affected birds on Minnesota commercial farms since early March, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) said in an update today.

The outbreak in Stearns County is its fourth in recent weeks, while the other three counties are experiencing their first outbreaks. The newly affected counties are in the southwest corner of the state, south of the Minnesota River, while Stearns County is in central Minnesota. Cottonwood and Watonwan are neighboring counties, while Cottonwood abuts Nobles County, which reported an outbreak on Apr 2.

All nine affected Minnesota counties are in the Mississippi flyway followed by migrating wild birds.

Full text:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2015/04/h5n2-expands-its-minnesota-reach-hits-4-more-farms

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4. Researchers fear avian flu may be here to stay

By Minnesota Public Radio News

Grand Forks Herald

April 9, 2015

The avian flu outbreak that has killed poultry in 10 states, including Minnesota, is unprecedented in this country. In the past five months two highly-pathogenic strains of bird flu have been detected in two dozen domestic flocks, killing hundreds of thousands of birds.

Previous outbreaks of lethal bird flu among U.S. poultry have occurred just a few times. But those outbreaks largely were limited to a single state and a small number of farms.

Agriculture officials and poultry farmers hope quarantines and culling measures will stop the current outbreak and protect the state's $800 million turkey industry.

But some avian researchers fear the new viruses may be here to stay.

The strains of bird flu currently circulating in the United States contain genes from viruses found in Europe and Asia.

That's very unusual, given that the oceans and north-south migration patterns are a barrier to significant mingling between birds from those continents, said David Halvorson, an avian influenza researcher.

"With the exception of Siberia and Alaska where they can have a little bit of exchange of genetic material of their viruses," said Halvorson, a retired University of Minnesota veterinary medicine professor.

Halvorson suspects the new flu viruses were introduced to North America near the Bering Sea in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean between North America and Asia. Now that they're here, he believes it will be hard to get rid of them.

Wild waterfowl are a natural reservoir for flu viruses, Halvorson said.

The wild birds can be infected with flu and not appear ill. So far, none of the waterfowl fecal samples tested in Minnesota has tested positive for the flu strain that's killing domestic turkeys. But some wild birds in other states have tested positive for the new flu strains.

Full text:

http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/agriculture/3718829-researchers-fear-avian-flu-may-be-here-stay

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5. Variety in the species of life attracts state veterinary diagnostic lab leader [TX]

By Kathleen Phillips

AgriLife Today

April 10, 2015

COLLEGE STATION - Looking back, there was a natural progression from manatees and beached whales to panthers, wild turkeys and most recently Texas cattle.

Sure, they all are animals. But for Dr. Bruce Akey, they have each been part of a trail of discovery that defined his career path.

"I like to dream big and go after things, and I've found that culture here," said Akey, who became director of the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, headquartered in College Station, in March.

Akey admits to a love for animals "since I was a little kid," but he didn't originally set out to pair that with a profession. In college, in part due to home influence as the son of a Naval officer, he first majored in marine biology, later changing to a broader biology degree for his bachelor's.

Then, a job with the agricultural experiment station at the University of Florida led to graduate school were Akey studied parasitology.

"We did everything from manatees and beached whales to Florida panthers and wild turkeys," Akey recalled. "It was a lot of fun - a lot of fun!"

At some point, his major professor and mentor there admitted that he wished he had gone to veterinary school.

"We were working with wildlife," Akey said. "And he said a veterinary degree would have opened up a lot more opportunities in terms of access to the clinical knowledge and experience of disease pathology and such. It also would provide the clinical tools to use surgery for implanting tracking devices and access to drugs to be used to immobilize animals for research."

That seed grew into Akey's interest for working on wildlife diseases, so he headed to veterinary school after earning a master's rather than continuing in an academic doctoral program.

Full text:

http://today.agrilife.org/2015/04/10/variety-in-the-species-of-life-attracts-state-veterinary-diagnostic-lab-leader/

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6. Veterinary researchers study retinal scans as early detection method for mad cow disease

Phys.org

April 10, 2015

New research from Iowa State University shows that a fatal neurological disease in cows can be detected earlier by examining the animal's retinas.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known more commonly as mad cow disease, is an untreatable neurodegenerative disorder caused by misfolded brain proteins known as prions. Classic BSE incubates for years before producers or veterinarians notice symptoms, usually discovered when the animal can no longer stand on its own.

But Heather Greenlee, an associate professor of biomedical sciences in Iowa State's College of Veterinary Medicine, said studying the retinas of cattle can identify infected animals up to 11 months before they show signs of illness.

"The retina is part of the central nervous system," Greenlee said. "Essentially, it's the part of the brain closest to the outside world, and we know the retina is changed in animals that have prion diseases."

In collaboration with Justin Greenlee's group at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center, she recently published findings in the peer-reviewed academic journal PLOS ONE*. She began studying how the retina relates to prion diseases in 2006, and the experiments that led to her most recent publication began in 2010.

[ * See: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0119431 ]

Full text:

http://phys.org/news/2015-04-veterinary-retinal-scans-early-method.html

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7. USDA Expands Beef and Pork Trade with Mexico and Peru

USDA News Release

April 10, 2015

DES MOINES, Iowa - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently reached agreements allowing U.S. beef and pork producers greater access to consumers in Mexico and Peru. The two agreements announced Friday will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico and expand access to consumer markets in Peru for U.S. fresh and chilled pork. The Secretary made the announcements during a meeting with producers in Des Moines, Iowa.

"Our priority at USDA is not only to open or reopen markets for our producers, but to help drive U.S. economic growth through trade by supporting and creating American jobs on and off the farm," said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. "Mexico is an important market for U.S. cattle producers, with the potential to import $15 million of live U.S. cattle per year and we expect Peru's market could generate $5 million annually in additional pork sales."

The United States and Mexico reached an agreement that takes effect immediately and will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico for the first time in over a decade. The USDA has been working with Mexico since 2008 to reopen this market and the final agreement was reached between USDA Under Secretary Ed Avalos and Enrique Sanchez-Cruz with SAGARPA during meetings this week in Washington, DC. Exporters and producers can find the required documents on the APHIS website or through their local Veterinary Services office.

Similarly, USDA has conducted extensive negotiations with Peru's Servicio National De Sanidad Agraria (SENASA) since 2012 to expand access for U.S. fresh, chilled pork and pork products. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service export library will be updated to the new export requirements for these pork and pork products exports.

Full text:

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2015/04/0093.xml&contentidonly=true

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8. FDA Annual Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed in 2013 for Use in Food-Producing Animals

FDA Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine News Release

April 10, 2015

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today published its fifth annual report summarizing the sales and distribution data of antimicrobial drugs approved for use in food-producing animals. This summary report reflects sales and distribution information from the year prior to the FDA's announcement to implement its judicious use strategy.

Section 105 of the Animal Drug User Fee Amendments of 2008 (ADUFA 105) requires antimicrobial drug sponsors to report to FDA on an annual basis the amount of antimicrobial drugs they sell or distribute for use in food-producing animals. These sales and distribution data do not directly correlate to actual use of the products.

ADUFA 105 also requires the FDA to prepare summary reports of sales and distribution information received from drug sponsors each year, by antimicrobial class for classes with three or more distinct sponsors, and to provide those summaries to the public.

Please see the 2013 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals for more information.

[ http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForIndustry/UserFees/AnimalDrugUserFeeActADUFA/UCM440584.pdf ]

Source: http://tinyurl.com/q5n5o5m